18 Jun 2017

Land and water are crucial resources and a basis for socio-economic development, says Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, Mr Prince Maele.

Speaking at the 12th Leadership Forum of the ministry, Mr Maele said the two natural resources drove activities that improved the industrial and well-being of nations as well as their wealth.

He added that water security, sustainability and development underscored and supported the security, sustainability and development of counties.

He noted that the quantity and quality of global water resources had been adversely affected by climate change, and that water supply systems were plagued by operational and structural challenges that included pollution.

“The population growth including the resultant growth in demand for land and water has also put immense pressure on these resources,” he said.

Minister Maele said it called for concerted efforts on water conservation and demand management by encouraging the use of recycled water, particularly in agriculture and manufacturing.

Mr Maele added that the importance of land management in water security and sustainability needed not be overemphasised, noting that “water resources are based on land, either on the surface or underground.”

He said water management strategies and policies would not be successful if not supported by good governance and management of land resource. The minister noted that the land policy was approved by Parliament in July 2015, and that the national water and wastewater policy was approved by Parliament in 2016.

The main objective of the land policy is to guide land management for socio-economic development and efficiency and transparency in land management and administration for sustainable human settlements and developments.

Mr Maele said the national water and wastewater policy provided direction on planning, development and management of water resources.

Minister Maele also acknowledged that his ministry was faced with challenges of shortage of serviced land, squatting, urban growth into agricultural areas and resistance by land owners to release land for distribution. He added that water shortage, obsolete infrastructure, lack of basic sanitation, poor project implementation, staff welfare, decline of both surface and underground water were also challenges facing his ministry.

Mr Maele also noted that they had registered 707 361 plots of the targeted 826 646, which amounted to 86 per cent.

He advised those who have not yet registered their plots to register them, saying failure to do so within the set time would result in a penalty.

Minister Maele also advised them to debate the issue of inheritance of applications for land by families of the deceased, and whether or not they should permit people to have two plots anywhere they wished as long as it was not within the same locality rather than restricting allocation to one plot in state land and the other one on tribal land.BOPA